London Stansted has joined the Essex Wildlife Trust’s Investor in Wildlife scheme, reinforcing its long standing commitment to protecting and enhancing the natural environment across the airport site.
The partnership supports Manchester Airports Group’s (MAG) wider sustainability plans, which include boosting biodiversity, restoring habitats, and managing land more sustainably across all its airports.
Through the new collaboration, Stansted will receive expert advice and benefit from local conservation networks, helping to strengthen and expand the environmental work already taking place on site.
Joining the scheme builds on existing initiatives and will further support habitat improvements across the airport. Planned measures include installing hedgehog nest boxes, restoring hedgerows, and creating opportunities for colleagues to take part in conservation activities.
Martin Churley, MAG’s Head of Environment, said:
“There’s a lot more nature around the airport than people realise. Stansted is truly an airport in the countryside, and we’ve worked hard to create spaces where wildlife can thrive. It’s great to see deer, foxes and rare flowers living happily just beyond the runway. This partnership with the Wildlife Trust, along with our sustainability strategy, will help ensure that the airport continues to grow in a way that supports and enhances local biodiversity.”
London Stansted recently received its official Gold Member Investors in Wildlife certificate from the Essex Wildlife Trust during a special visit to the airport’s habitat area. Representatives from the Trust joined members of the airport’s environment team at the north side site.
Justine Addison, Corporate Partnerships Manager at Essex Wildlife Trust, said:
“Welcoming Stansted Airport as a member of our corporate Investors in Wildlife Programme is a powerful example of what can be achieved when organisations come together with a shared commitment to nature. Their visible leadership and investment, send a strong signal about the vital role business can play, helping to accelerate real, measurable impact for biodiversity gain across Essex.”
One of the airport’s flagship initiatives is a dedicated wildlife habitat north of the runway, created around seven years ago on previously unused land. Covering an area roughly equivalent to two football pitches, the site includes ponds, grassland and woodland, providing a safe home for species such as deer, rabbits, badgers and great crested newts. A wide variety of wildflowers including marsh marigold and wild angelica also thrive here.
Wildlife is also frequently seen around the wider airport boundary too, with grazing deer and foxes regularly spotted. In nearby woodland managed by the airport, Stansted is supporting the National Trust by collecting seeds from rare oxlip flowers found on the site, helping to grow new plants for rewilding projects in places such as Hatfield Forest, where the species has been declining.
